GM/JATCO Redevelopment Advisory Board Meeting Summary - July 23, 2026
GM/JATCO Redevelopment Advisory Board Meeting Summary - July 23, 2026
The GM/JATCO Redevelopment Advisory Board met on July 23, 2026 (agenda date July 22) to review community engagement results from a visioning workshop and online survey, discuss the project design phase, and finalize logistics for an upcoming community design workshop. Key decisions included approving the previous meeting minutes, setting the design workshop for October 14, 2026, and advancing a direct mail and email outreach strategy.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of May 27, 2026 Meeting Minutes: Motion by Nathan Burkhard, seconded by Aaron Klipstein. All members present voted in favor; motion carried unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lisa McAfee suggested the city could develop a city-owned, solar-powered greenhouse on the site to generate revenue by selling electricity back to Alliant Energy, using that profit to fund cleanup and other site improvements.
Discussion Items
- Visioning Workshop and Survey Summary: Amy Warshaw of Stantec presented engagement updates. Approximately 200 people attended the visioning workshop, and the survey received 1,209 responses. The workshop showed industrial use as the highest priority, followed by housing and commercial; the survey flipped, with recreation/green space and commercial ranking higher. Common themes included trail connectivity, grocery store demand (food desert), affordable and diverse housing (studio/1-bedroom units, starter homes), light industrial/manufacturing, and environmental sustainability. Public feedback on the survey indicated confusion over the term "affordable housing." The board discussed the need to combine data sets, consider market viability, and incorporate feedback from stakeholder interviews. A board member noted the challenge of getting unconstrained thoughts from the public and suggested ways to encourage more open input.
- Project Design Phase: Amy outlined the design process using examples from other projects. Steps include creating an opportunities and constraints map, land use mapping, developing three concept sketches, refining a preferred concept, and producing photorealistic renderings and phasing plans. The GM/JATCO site is expected to follow this process, with the design workshop serving as a key public feedback point.
- Design Workshop Date and Location: The board reviewed alternative dates after the original September 22 date was unavailable. Preferred dates were October 7 and 14; the board agreed on October 14 (Wednesday). Location discussion favored the UAW hall (near the site) over the library, citing proximity and accessibility. Nick agreed to contact the UAW hall and the school district (UROC) as backups. The workshop will run 1.5 to 2 hours in an open-house format, with no formal survey component. A board member requested a post-workshop debrief for board members, which was supported.
- Communication and Outreach Strategy: Nick presented a draft direct mail boundary covering approximately 776 properties (later noted as an undercount). Board members suggested expanding the boundary to include the Fourth Ward and Woodland Heights, and ensuring options for paper surveys for those without internet access. Nick will refine the boundary using GIS and use the city's registered voter email list (used to promote the survey, reaching ~14,000 accounts) along with the constant contact list server for additional notifications.
Key Outcomes
- Approved: Minutes of May 27, 2026 meeting.
- Decided: Design workshop will be held Wednesday, October 14, 2026, tentatively at the UAW hall (to be confirmed).
- Directives: City staff to finalize the mailer boundary, proceed with a direct mail and email campaign for the workshop, and explore offering paper surveys at the event. Staff will also coordinate with the board on a post-workshop debrief.
- Next Steps: Stantec will incorporate feedback into land use concepts and prepare three design alternatives for the October workshop. The board will receive updated materials via SharePoint and the city website.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, I will call the uh July 22nd uh 2026 meeting of the GM Jacko Redevelopment Advisory Board to order uh first order of business is roll call. Lindsey Bittendorf, Vice Chair. Here Nathan Burkhard here. Uh Steve Dean is an excused absence. Kristen Devoric Stone. Here Craig DeGarmel here. Heidi Deninger is not here, and we I don't know if she was gonna make it or not. So okay. Uh Aaron Klipstein? Here. Jim C. Qborne is excused and not able to make it. James Otterstein? Here. And Jeff Winchell. Okay. Thank you. With that, uh the meeting minutes were included in your agenda packet that Nick sent out. Uh we all had a chance to review them. If so, I would entertain a mission uh motion to approve the May 27, 2026 meeting minutes. I'll motion by Nathan. Is there a second? I'll second. Aaron got that. Um further conversation. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Hearing none, motion carries. Old business. There is none. Uh new business. Review and discussion of visioning workshop and community survey summary. I believe we'll be turning this over to Amy Warshaw from Stantec, who's on your screens. Yes. Thank you for having me here tonight. Actually, just hold on one second. Sharing. Okay. Okay. You see the presentation data July 22nd? Yes, thank you. Okay. Thank you. Okay, so for the agenda for today. Um going to provide an engagement summary to date, then go over the visioning workshop summary, the survey summary, have an open discussion, and then go over the design process so the board and any people are members of the community that are attending tonight, have an idea of what the next steps are because I've had some questions on some of the process. Okay. So updates. So to date we've done seven market analysis interviews. Um we held a visioning workshop with approximately 200 attendees.
openpublica.com